HARDCORE GYM #105

 

March 2011 - Vol. 34 No. 5

EXPLOSIVE MECHANICS

by Rick Brewer | rick[at]houseofpain.com

www.houseofpain.com

Whoops, I guess I dropped the ball last month. I was too distracted by the Catwoman rejection, and also we were really busy with the high school powerlifting season. Sorry, my brothers, but HOUSE OF PAIN sponsors and attends up to ten powerlifting meets per weekend in the first few months of the year—and all those strong young kids keep us hustling—until a few weeks after the Arnold Classic! There was no way to finish this article. Thinking of all those kids reminds me of a gym that changes their gym hours based on the school schedule. Way cool, but I'll get to that gym in a second.

The last gym we discussed was Hardcore Gym #104. We went underground (literally), and checked out the Iron Empire in Bethpage, NY. I asked all of you to help me hook up with Catwoman for research on her stretchy leathers, but so far there has been no word from Halle Berry. She hasn't responded to any of my calls or letters, and she won't "friend" me on Facebook. In other words, so far NONE OF YOU HAVE COME THROUGH FOR ME!
OK. I have put my dreams of Halle Berry behind me; it is time to act my age and face reality like an adult. Moving on, now I wanna party with Charlie Sheen!! Wait, we were talking about a hardcore gym. This next Hardcore Gym (#105) features a trainer that works with a lot of high school and collegiate lifters—in a mature and productive manner. I got this initial email from Jared Bidne:

 

My name is Jared Bidne and I own a powerlifting/sports performance gym in Georgia. My website address is www.explosivemechanics.com. I have trained some world record holders. They hold records in the AAU, SPF, Raw United (RUM), and a few others. The lifters are between 9 and 16 years old. The 9 year old, at 79 pounds, has a 215 deadlift, 100 bench, and a 160 squat. The 10 year old has a 110 pound bench and a 160 squat. We have a 12 year old with a 300 deadlift, and a 14 year old (Cody Houser) at 131 with a 215 bench! We also have a few other lifters with some great numbers.

I subscribe to Powerlifting USA and see spotlight articles and would like to know how to get involved with one. All of my contact information is on my website. You can view some of the videos from the media page on the website.

Thanks,
Jared Bidne
Explosive Mechanics

 

I love explosives and I love high school powerlifting! This guy is training kids—the future of our PL sport—and his gym has a cool exploding name! 'Nuff said. Explosive Mechanics is a natural for Hardcore Gym #105! But can he add 4 MPH to our fastball? Let's find out. The full story is below:

 

I started Explosive Mechanics in 2008 after spending years in the pursuit of strength and athletic performance. I wanted a gym that was all about the results with no fluff. I wanted to open something that was not available to me as a young athlete. After opening Explosive Mechanics it has been my goal to provide athletes with the best training possible, using experience and science. With the name, I wanted something with meaning and with an exercise science background I came up with Explosive Mechanics. In the dictionary "mechanics" is the branch of applied mathematics dealing with motion and tendencies to motion when subjected to forces or displacements, and the method of construction or routine operation of a thing. Explosive describes the type of mechanics we use. In our logo, there is a barbell between "Explosive" and "Mechanics" because strength (if developed properly) is the connecting link for explosive movement. (Explosive lifters dominate powerlifting; I'm sold! RB)

My name is Jared Bidne, and I grew up in Senoia, GA. That's only about 20 minutes from where the gym is located. I started lifting weights at the age of 12, when my parents bought me my first weight set. It was a home gym, and I wanted to prove to them that I was going to use it more than they thought. The more I used it, the stronger I became! I noticed my body changing, then I started buying bodybuilding magazines to learn more about how to become stronger, because like most kids I thought big muscles were strong. Later on in life, I learned you do not have to be big and ripped to be strong. (When your body is changing, I've heard that is called 'puberty.' That same process is what drove me to bodybuilding mags, to look at pictures of scantily clad women. And yeah, I read the wacky BB training nonsense. Then I progressed to a PL USA subscription, and fixated on Catwoman. I'm just saying. RB)

I do have a B.S. Degree in Exercise Science and dropped out of the M.S. program after being frustrated with the information presented. We were educated on everything except training. We learned about the muscular and neuromuscular system, but never how to train them to create a specific response. None of my books ever mentioned maximum effort, repeated effort, or dynamic effort. If not for Louie Simmons, I still would not know. Training is a process and each method has details designed to create a specific response for that method.

Speaking of training, high school and collegiate athletes mainly train at Explosive Mechanics, and so the hours of business depend on the time of year. Gym hours basically revolve around the school schedule. (Way cool; my hat is off to you for helping these younger lifters! RB)

We have a 10 year old, Coltin Houser, with his best lifts being a 160 squat, 110 bench, and a 180 deadlift at 89 pounds body weight. Coltin holds the SPF world record for bench in a push/pull meet and in a full power meet. We have a 9 year old, Zach Seymour, who holds world records for the SPF, AAU, and Raw United. Zach's best lifts are a 105 bench, 160 squat, and a 220 deadlift, at 79 pounds body weight. Cole Egan is 12 years old and 109 pounds, with a 200 squat, 120 bench, and a 215 deadlift. Kyle Houser is another 12 year old, with a 155 bench and a 205 squat at 102 pounds. We have two other 12 year olds, Malik Early and Louthez Wyatt. Malik has a 300 deadlift, and a 225 squat at 179 pounds. Louthez has a 160 bench at 208 pounds. Our 15 year old lifter recorded a 540 total (when he was only 14) in a push/pull with a 215 bench and a 325 deadlift, at a body weight of 131 pounds. We have a 16 year old lifter, Antonio White, with a 1245 total at 170 pounds. His best lifts include a 455 squat, 315 bench and a 475 deadlift. Antonio was called for hitching when he pulled his last deadlift at 500. We have a very driven 74 pound, 9 year old female with a 145 squat, an 85 bench, and a 6-foot-5-inch broad jump! Her main sport is tennis. We have a lot of young lifters and the numbers that were given were done in competition.
We lift raw, belt only—no knee wraps or wrist wraps—our motto is shut up and work. We have some very strong females as well; two high school senior volleyball players with 150 pound plus benches at body weights of 140. Some of these videos can be seen from the media page off of www.explosivemechanics.com. One of our most popular videos is of one of our 13 year old girls pulling a 275 trap bar deadlift. (Not even knee wraps?!? Dude, that is crazy hardcore. I see a lot of TX lifters with 600 plus squats, and last weekend I saw a 475 BP, but most of the TX high school lifters are wearing supportive gear. Totally different ballgame. RB)

At Explosive Mechanics you will not find TVs, treadmills, mirrors, or a juce bar. We have a monolift, a Forza bench, and a deadlift platform similar to the one Louie Simmons has at Westside Barbell. We have three squat racks with 0–90 degree benches. We have dumbbells up to 150, a reverse hyper, GHR, supported row and many different bars, several dragging sleds, two prowlers and a little over 1500 square feet of turf. We have one Olympic lifting platform with Eleiko weights. We have the ability to train just about any type of athlete that walks through the door. I'm the only trainer, so I have trained every one that has come to Explosive Mechanics for training. The Georgia State 4A volleyball "Player-of-the-Year" trains at the gym. One Explosive Mechanics trained athlete won "Best Running Back" award for a national combine. We have also trained a baseball player who ran one of the fastest 60 yard dash times ever recorded at a MLB Pro Workout. After 8 weeks of training I had two football players run in the 4.4 range for a 40 yard dash. They were both in the 4.7 range when they started. Not only did I clock one of the guys at 4.4, but Georgia Tech came up with the same result. I have also had a high school female freshman volleyball player at 5-foot-10-inches take her vertical approach from a 9-foot-4-inch approach to 9-foot-11.5-inches. I have had a baseball player go from 168 pounds to 201 pounds while maintaining a 10-foot broad jump. His pitching speed has gone from 89 MPH to 93 MPH. He signed a full scholarship to pitch for Georgia Tech. I have had 4 football players run 4.0 in the 5-10-5 (pro shuttle) and one run a 3.95 in the shuttle.

There are several athletes that have been training at Explosive Mechanics for several years that have just signed scholarships to play at the next level. We've had athletes recently sign scholarships to play at the following universities: (1) Georgia Tech football, (1) NC State football, (2) Elon female volleyball, (3) University of West Georgia female volleyball, (1) Brown University football, (1) MIT female volleyball, (1) Ole Miss football, (1) Georgia Southern University football, (2) Samford University football, (2) University of West Georgia football, and (1) Appalachian State football. I would like to say "congrats" to them and thanks for believing in me and Explosive Mechanics! (Heck, you made me believe. You added 4 MPH to his fastball, and cut their 40's by a third of a second? If you could add the same 7-inches to my vertical jump, it would be almost 12-inches total! I would be so awesome! Seriously, those are fantastic results. RB)

At Explosive Mechanics, athletic results are all we are—without results we are nothing. The gym is located at 243 Senoia Rd., Peachtree City, Georgia. Come find out what results we can help you achieve!

 

Jared Bidne CSCS
Explosive Mechanics LLC
info@explosivemechanics.com
678.858.7731

 

P.S. I would also like to thank Louie Simmons for his tremendous support and endless effort in trying to educate others.

Good job, Jared. You have a cool hardcore gym! Thanks for helping all of those young lifters; I know they are inspiring. Every time I see a teenager excel at a high school powerlifting meet, it makes me want to train even harder!

If you readers are in the great state of Georgia, you owe it to your kids and young neighbors to take them to meet Jared at Explosive Mechanics gym! Heck, if you're anywhere close, go check it out.

Next month, we're headed to a more centrally located state with an old-world gym name. Until then, lift heavy, eat big, and take a nap if you get a chance. Once a month, you might even throw in a set of sit-ups, or some cardio. If you go to the Arnold Classic, come say hey at the HOUSE OF PAIN booth! Email any info on Halle Berry—or your local gym—to me: rick@houseofpain.com.

*photographs courtesy of Explosive Mechanics

 

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